DVD Corner

Icefall Blu-ray Review

“Icefall” lacks thrills.  

Written by George Mahaffey and Steve Isles, “Icefall” is a thriller that begins with a gang of thieves led by Drake stealing 20 million from Albanians. One of the members attempts to transport the money safely but winds up crashing in a frozen lake. 5 months pass and a widowed man named Harlan who lives off the land discovers one of the cases of money. He ends up being caught by Ani (a Blackfoot game warden), but the gang of thieves who have a tracker on the money also arrive on the scene. All hell breaks loose, but Harlan and Ani manage to get away for the time being. The thieves give chase because only Harlan knows where the crashed plane containing the rest of the money is. Matters become even more complicated when the criminal boss Rhodes shows up on the scene.

Director Stefan Ruzowitzky starts off “Icefall” with a bang with an explosive and intense heist sequence. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill after that as the script takes a big nosedive into predictable direct to video level mediocrity. The story is more or less one big chase movie with the bad guys chasing the good guys, but it’s in need of way more action (although the bear trap scene was enjoyable). The writers attempt to inject a couple of intriguing subplots involving Harlan’s past and Native American locals, but they feel more like afterthoughts as they lack depth.

Visually, the movie has little going for it. There’s some decent location shooting, but it’s overshadowed by dreadful CGI and blatantly obvious filming inside a studio with a Volume esque screen backdrop. 

On the plus side, there’s a quality cast here. Joel Kinnaman (best known for the Suicide Squad films) looks a little bored (who can blame him), but he does an admirable job in the lead role. Danny Huston classes up the joint as the villain leader Rhodes. Cara Jade Meyers from “Killers Of The Flower Moon” does her best with Ani. Graham Greene is one of the bright spots here in one of his final film roles. DeVaughn Nixon delights in playing a nasty villain (Drake).

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 1080p. Grade: A-

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Grade: A-

The only extras are trailers for “Trap House,” “Code 3,” and “Coyotes.”

February 4, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Icefall Blu-ray Review, Icefall Movie, Joel Kinnaman, thriller